Name/Title
Spalsbury: #18 Letters Home June 26, 1943Entry/Object ID
2021.2.262A-GScope and Content
Letter Home from US Army Pvt. Robert C. Spalsbury, 3rd Platoon-Battery C, 57th A.A. Trng. Bn., Camp Callan, California to his parents, Mr. & Mrs. George C. Spalsbury, 806 South Eleventh Street, St. Joseph, Missouri - Postmarked June 26, 1943, 10:30 AM San Diego, CALIF, 6 cent Air Mail stampContext
Friday - June 25, 1943
Dear Kids, and Pat,
I got your letter last night, together with one from Duane and one from Barbara Mann. My, but she answered my letter quickly, compared to how quickly I answered hers. I must answer this one in the near future. She gave me a compliment for you, Marie. She said she thought you were "very pretty and seemed so sweet." But of course that was just her first impression. Ha! In Duane's letter he told me about the thrill of flying, and how he thought he'd surely be sent to Santa Ana within a month. I think by that time we A.S.T.P. boys will surely be at the STAR unit at Pasadena Junior College. So we'll probably get to see each other sometime soon.
I hope Kathleen called you the other day and read you at least part of the letter I sent her. That saved me a lot of writing. - -Now she owes me another letter. I wonder what kind of a job she finally got this summer. - - -
My package surely reached you by Tuesday, Pop. I know the tobacco shipped O.K., but I wondered about the toilet kit. However, it was in a fairly sturdy package, and the girl at the P.X. was really nice about packing the two articles in a box and wrapping it for me. I left it at the Battery Office last Tuesday morning before I went on Beach Guard, and had the orderly mail it for me. I left a dollar bill for postage, and collected the 74 cents left over when I came back on Wednesday.
My, how good that raspberry ice cream sounds! For about a month now all we're able to get at our P.X. fountain in the evenings is root beer and cokes. But if we get there earlier in the day (which is almost impossible) we can get a milk shake, malt or soda. Then, too, one can usually get pints of ice cream and ice cream drinks at the Service Club, but that's about six blocks away, where our P.X. is only about one block away. My, but I'm hungry and thirsty right now. I'm down at the Rec Hall in my fatigues (I got off latrine detail at about 10:05 p.m.) now, and the coke machines are empty. Boy, am I thirsty! We always G.I. (clean and scrub) the barracks Friday nights in preparation for Saturday morning's inspection. I'm really pleased with myself. - - I get out of inspection tomorrow, in order to go up to the Dispensary to soak my feet in a solution of potassium permanganate for 45 minutes. It'll be the fourth time. We've been going on a bunch of hikes and forced marches of late and so the other day we had foot inspection. I have some old dead skin or callouses, and a slight touch of athlete's foot, so for about four more days I report there at 8 a.m. and in the evening after chow to soak my feet. The solution is supposed to toughen one's feet, and also disinfect them.
No, I've never heard from Bob Cox yet, but I had a long dandy letter from Jack Planalp and one from Lilburn Roberts the other day. Lilburn's been transferred to Keesler Field, Mississippi, which he doesn't like so well, but Jack's still at Sheppard. Jack really writes an interesting letter. He told me all about the Army slang there, - very similar to ours here.
I'm anxious to see the new living and dining rooms when I get home on furlough. I know I'll like the fireplace without that heavy top piece.
I plan on going to San Diego again this Sunday, and hope Warren gets in too. He was waiting last Sunday at 11 a.m., but I had Beach Guard again.
At the P.X. now they have two kinds of Service Watches. Both are Latham, one a 7 - jewell, and the other a 17 - jewell. The former is $23.15 and the latter is $28.70. They are both waterproof, I believe and have luminous dials. This coming Wednesday is payday, and I think I'll get about $25.00. If you'd send me $10.00 or so as a Graduation Gift, with the six or seven dollars I have left now, I'd have enough to purchase the $28.70 watch (I think it's pretty nice for the price) and enough left over to last me for change. But maybe you've looked over some more watches in Joe town, and have found something better for the price. Don't worry about the quality of the watch, because all the stuff at the P.X. is of very dependable quality.
It's almost 11 p.m. now, so nighty - night.
Love and love, BobLexicon
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Category 08: Communication ObjectsArchive Items Details
Title
Letter Home from US Army Pvt. Robert C. Spalsbury, 3rd Platoon-Battery C, 57th A.A. Trng. Bn., Camp Callan, California to his parents, Mr. & Mrs. George C. Spalsbury, 806 South Eleventh Street, St. Joseph, Missouri - Postmarked June 26, 1943, 10:30 AM San Diego, CALIF, 6 cent Air Mail stampDescription
Handwritten letter home to parents back in St. Joseph after being called up to serve in the US Army during WWII. Pvt. Spalsbury, at the time of this letter, is at Camp Callen, California for Basic Training. The letter is three pages, front & back, written in blue ink pen on plain stationery. The letter was mailed in an Air Mail specific envelope with the red and blue hash mark edges. The stationary fits the envelope with regular folding.Condition
Overall Condition
Very GoodRelationships
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Person or Organization
Robert C. Spalsbury
